AFSCME

AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) is a major U.S. union and is a part of the AFL-CIO. With 1.6 million members, AFSCME includes nurses, corrections officers, child care providers, and sanitation workers as well as government workers. It is a member of Health Care for America Now. [1]

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Overview

In Washington, DC it pushes for everything from improving unemployment benefits to strengthening job security. Among its biggest priorities are raising the minimum wage and battling efforts to privatize public sector jobs. In 2004, AFSCME strongly supported Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, and has actively opposed several of President Bush's second-term initiatives, especially partial Social Security privatization.[2]